


The Making of a Champion

by saltylikecrait



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Competition, Crushes, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poisoning, Pokemon Training, Siblings, Wild Area (Pokemon), Yoroi Shima | Isle of Armor (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Summary: A collection of one-shots following the reign of Champion Gloria.
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Yuuri | Gloria, Dande | Leon & Kibana | Raihan, Dande | Leon & Yuuri | Gloria, Hop & Yuuri | Gloria, Hop/Yuuri | Gloria, Kibana | Raihan & Nezu | Piers, Mary | Marnie & Yuuri | Gloria, Masaru | Victor & Yuuri | Gloria, Rurina | Nessa & Sonia
Comments: 27
Kudos: 46





	1. Chameleon's Attitude Problem

**Author's Note:**

> Timeframe: six months after the Championship

Charmander had been such a sweet little Pokemon, always staying by her side, obedient, well behaved. It was hard to believe the Charmelon he evolved into was the same critter.

Gloria was at her wits end with him. The moment she allowed him to roam outside his Pokeball in the Wild Area, he ignored her orders and pleas to stick close by. While she intended to take the time to train him up specifically, the moment Charmeleon heard rustling in the tall grass or saw another Pokemon in the distance, he took off running. He didn’t even give Gloria time to decide if the other Pokemon was the right challenge for him. Charmeleon wanted to fight and he would fight anything that moved, no matter how much stronger or what type advantage the wilderness gifted them with. She felt terrible every time he approached a Pokemon who obviously wasn’t looking for a challenge, trying to call her partner off until she was forced to recall him into his Pokeball and try again.

He wasn’t totally disobedient, at least. Even if the battle wasn’t one she would have picked, the fire Pokemon listened to her commands, relying on her quick thinking and sense of strategy. Charmeleon was a great battle partner, he just was impatient to get to the next one without giving his trainer time to breathe.

She already knew she would have to cut her time out here short. Charmeleon’s brashness got him into a lot of tight spots quickly and Gloria was running low on potions and revives. While she had hoped she could spend a few days to herself camping under the stars before she continued on her overdue trip home to Postwick, the risk of having her Pokemon get hurt without the proper items on hand was growing. Her train pass had no expiration, a perk of being the Champion, so she just had to get to the station and let her mum know she was going to be earlier than expected.

“’Kay, Charmeleon,” she patted the ridge along his head. “See that Dubwool over there? He seems to want a challenger. Let’s approach him.”

At first, it seemed like her partner was going to listen to her for once as he quietly followed her up to the wild Pokemon quietly looking around the tall grass. Then, Charmeleon simply turned his head, eyes widening, before he took off in the other direction. With a glance, she spotted what he was heading for in the distance: the unmistakable mass of a wild Onix.

“Charmeleon! _No!”_

But any attention he paid her a moment before had shifted to this new target. Charmeleon had his mental blinders on, and it was putting him in harm’s way again. He didn’t know any attacks that could do damage to a rock type.

…He also didn’t know any defensive moves that would hold up to a rock type.

Quickly holding out her Poke Ball, Gloria called him back. Crisis averted. She took a deep breath as she waited for her rapid heartbeat to calm.

That was enough near heart attacks for one day. It was time to call the Wild Area trip quits.

As she walked to the Meeting Place to catch a train, she was lost in her thoughts. Gloria knew she wasn’t a bad trainer, being Galar’s reigning Champion and all that, but Charmeleon was making her feel like a novice. And while he was listening to her in the heat of battle, their bond felt strained outside of it. She almost regretted evolving Charmander.

She needed advice. Expert advice.

And who would be better than the one who bred Charmander and gifted it to her?

Taking her phone out of her pocket, she flipped through her contacts until she found Leon’s name. He was probably busy, running the Battle Tower and all, but perhaps later if he had a few minutes to spare, he could call her back.

To her surprise, he answered, though on screen, he looked a tired. “How’s the trip going, Champ?”

“I know you’re busy. Sorry to bother you—"

“I can always make time for you, Gloria,” Leon answered honestly. “Where are you? Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine,” she insisted. “Just heading to the train station. But Charmeleon…”

Leon broke into a strong chuckle. “Is he being a handful?”

“I take it wanting to fight everything is a species trait, then?” she asked, exasperated. 

Scratching behind his neck, his attitude turned sheepish. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. I call it their moody teenage phase. They’ve got those long sharp claws now and they want to test them. He should calm down by the time he evolves into Charizard, though. Instead of wanting to fight everything, he won’t bother with anything weaker than him.”

Well, the Pokedex entry described the creature as barbaric, so maybe she shouldn’t have been so shocked. Still, that meant she had a while with this form, considering it was six months after she received Charmander before she had time to train him up this far. Gloria wasn’t sure she could handle another half a year of this.

“How d'you deal with this, then?” She was desperate for help, even if she worried Leon would be disappointed in her.

He hummed as he thought about it. “Well, I didn’t have such a problem since I was still doing my Gym Challenge when I had Charmeleon. We were so busy then and he was always tired out by the end of the day.” An idea seemed to strike Leon, as his eyes grew larger with inspiration. “Oh, hey! Try having him battle some of your older Pokemon for practice. Then he can get all that energy out and you can keep the fighting controlled.”

She had never thought about that, considering she thought Charmeleon would get his fill from the Wild Area, but that made sense. No way he could beat her team who took the championship. He could have a battle with a strong opponent and tire himself out and Gloria wouldn’t have to worry about him causing a brush fire.

“Leon, you’re a genius! Thank you!”

“Anytime. Now go enjoy your vacation.” He waved to her before hanging up.

Smiling, Gloria unclipped Charmeleon’s Pokeball along with two others and stared at them for a moment before releasing the creatures inside.

That night, Gloria finally arrived home. Exhausted as she was from her travels, a smile twitched on her lips as she watched Charmeleon curl up at her feet and fall asleep as she recounted her day to her mother. 

She would have to think of a way to thank her mentor later.


	2. Seafoam Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time: two years after defeating Leon (Gloria = 15 years old)

She wasn’t expecting a phone call at nine at night, though in hindsight, it could have been anyone. Many people wanted to get a hold of Galar’s Champion, especially now that she had held on to the title for two years. She was the real deal; a Champion who could easily hold on to her reign as long as Leon had. It probably wasn’t her mum, being as late as it was, but perhaps one of the gym leaders checking in on her. 

Her Rotom Phone floated in front of her, Hop’s wide smile illuminating the screen. Gloria felt herself frown as she reached for it, trying not to shuffle Cinderace around too much and wake him. Hop was in Kanto and based upon her vague understanding of the time zone difference, it must have been early in the morning for him. They still texted regularly, but him being nine hours ahead of her made scheduling phone calls difficult.

Quickly, she tapped on her screen to answer. “Hey Hop.”

“Glory!” His face was bright and cheerful. Classic Hop. It made her realize how much she missed him. Even though they were on different paths, when they were both in Galar, they made it a point to visit each other when they could. “I hope it’s not too late for you.” He suddenly looked embarrassed. 

She shook her head. “Not too late. I’m normally up for at least another hour and a half.” Glancing closer at the screen, she noticed wherever he was, he was on a white sand beach, the sky behind him tinted magenta and orange. “Where are you? It’s beautiful.”

“Oh?” Hop reached to zoom his camera out. Taking a moment to focus on him, Gloria noted he looked like he had another growth spurt since she last saw him. While their journey matured Hop mentally and helped him figure out what he wanted, his teenage years were maturing him physically. He wasn’t as lanky as he used to be. It looked like the work he was doing in Kanto was helping him fill out with muscle. “I’m on the Seafoam Islands. Pretty area. Reminds me of the Isle of Armor a bit.”

“How much longer you going to be there?” 

“Actually,” he replied, “I’m finishing up here. I’m going to be heading back to Galar in about a week, but I wanted to show you what I’ve been doing here.” He tilted his phone so it could focus on the sand next to him where it looked like the beach was slightly caving into a pit. She shifted to get closer to her phone.

A small, blue, sand-covered head struggled to emerge. Looking around with wide eyes, the tiny Pokemon shook the sand off itself before uttering a high pitched, “Squirt!”

Gloria felt her eyes widen in delight. “Baby Squirtle!” The hatchling pulled itself out of the pit—she realized it was actually a nest—and crawled away on all fours, its limbs too shaky to stand upright on only two.

“My project here was to keep tabs on the nests on this part of the island,” Hop explained. “And now I’m just counting the hatchlings and monitoring them. Making sure no bigger Pokemon try to snatch up a meal before they get to the water. There aren’t many wild Squirtle left in Kanto.”

Another hatchling bolted from behind him. Hop grabbed his pen and wrote a quick a note in his journal before looking back up. He was starting to look more like Leon, though his features were still far softer. A brief fear swept through Gloria as she wondered if she would have to compete for his attention once he returned to Galar. Surely, she wouldn’t be the only one who would notice how he changed while he was gone. 

“I wish you could be here,” he admitted. “You would love it, mate. There’s this rumor of a legendary bird hiding out in one of the caves. Bet you would have found it in minutes, with your luck and all.”

“And you didn’t investigate yourself?” Gloria feigned shock.

Hop laughed before scratching behind his neck. “Well, I’ve been a little busy. And honestly, I don’t think exploring the caves on my own wouldn’t have been much fun. Tried surfing instead.”

“I want to see that,” she told him, though she felt a blush creep on her face afterwards. She hoped he didn’t notice. Then, as if she was unconsciously trying to hide her likely pinkish cheeks, she yawned.

He arched a brow. “Ah, you _are _tired.”__

__“Training’s been murder,” Gloria groaned. “Not only do the Pokemon have to be in top form, but _I_ have to be in top form.”_ _

__“Do I need to tell Leon to give you a break?” Hop teased, though half-heartedly. “Because I will.”_ _

__Waving her hand, she yawned again. “It’s fine; I’m the Champion, remember? This is my job now. But I have to get up pretty early.” She flashed him a warm, genuine smile. “Thank you for showing me this, Hop. Really.”_ _

__The smile he gave her in return was just as soft. “Night, Glo.”_ _

__“Night,” she finished. “See you soon.” Then, with a touch of her finger, Gloria ended the call._ _

__Falling back against her sofa cushions, she ran a hand through her hair. As excited as she was that her best friend was finally coming home, a sudden anxiety bubbled in her stomach. He might want to spend a few days at home at first to readjust to Galar time, but when they saw each other again, Gloria wanted to make it special. Perhaps she could use one of the perks of being the Champion, a reservation at a nice restaurant or something like that._ _

__“Where do you think I should take Hop, Cinderace?” she asked her partner lying next to her on the sofa, fast asleep._ _

__He only answered her with a light snore. She would have to do research in the morning._ _


	3. Pikachu Cafe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Period: 1 Year after Gym Challenge

“C’mon, Victor, it’s just up ahead!” Gloria skipped in her step as she drug her twin brother by the hand. He didn’t come up to Wydon so often as she would have liked. Starting up his own gym took up a lot of his time, and he usually stayed home on his days off. He surprised her by saying he was taking a cab up to Wydon just to see her, having a three-day weekend for once.

She was just happy to have her brother to herself.

“Sis, it’s not going anywhere. We’re on time!” Victor insisted, tugging on her hand to get her to slow down. 

But Gloria was just too excited. Her brother _and_ a new place to eat? This was the best weekend ever!

Ignoring him, she continued her pace for another block, until they came to a small shopping complex. “We’re here!” she announced, pointing up at the second floor. “It’s just up those stairs.”

They made the short hike upwards until they could see inside the windows of a shop. Two friendly yellow faces pushed up against the glass, curious of the humans outside.

Victor blinked. “A Pikachu café?”

“Yeah! Aren’t the cute? The café raises money for the local rescue. Some of the Pikachu here also are up for adoption.”

“I have a Pikachu though,” Victor reminded her. _“And_ a Raichu.” 

It wasn’t that she forgot her brother was an electric-type gym leader; it was more that she wanted to check out the café simply because she wanted to. 

“Well, the food’s really good and for a good cause, so I booked us a reservation,” she huffed. 

“Not complaining about that,” he assured her. “I’m just not here to adopt a Pikachu, if that’s what you were hinting at.”

“No, no! I’m just here for the food and the cute Pokemon! Though if you wanted to take home a new friend—”

“Glo—” Victor warned.

“Well, maybe _I’ll_ take one home.” She stuck her tongue out at her brother. Some things just never changed.

They entered the café, walking up to a small counter where they were greeted by a woman with short, spiky hair and a smile. Next to her, a curious Pichu sat on the counter.

“Do you have a reservation?” the woman asked.

“For Gloria and Victor,” the Champion responded. She watched with a somewhat smug smile as her twin playfully greeted the baby Pokemon. 

Placing down two menus and sliding them down the counter, the woman asked, “Pichu, do you want to show our guests to a table?”

Nodding enthusiastically, the Pichu grabbed the menus and hopped down. _“Piii—”_ it called to them, waving them over. Gloria had to restrain herself from verbally squeeing at the sight. 

The little Pokemon took them through a set of doors, where they entered a dining room with one wall being made of plexiglass so the diners could see into another room. There, a group of Pikachu frolicked on a custom playground made just for them. Posters hung on the walls, detailing the Pokemon up for adoption and how to tell them apart. 

Pichu made a gesture to a table for them to sit at, holding the menus up for them to get. Victor kneeled down to take them. “Thank you, Pichu.” He beamed. 

Excitedly, the Pichu squeaked and scampered back out to the lobby. Victor took his seat and slid a menu to his sister as she sat down. Scanning the contents of the menu, Gloria puzzled through what she wanted to order. 

“There’s a lot of sweets on here, isn’t there?” Victor commented. “See anything to your liking?”

She hummed. “Maybe.”

“Coffee sounds good,” her brother added, forcing a gasp out of Gloria.

“Mum doesn’t want us to drink coffee, Vic!” she reminded him. “She thinks we’re too young!”

“Well, Mum ain’t here.” He smirked, the same smile he gave her whenever he was about to do something that could get them in trouble.

The server smiled at this exchange as he approached. “I guess I should ask you what kind of coffee, then?”

“Just cream and sugar.”

“And for you?” the server addressed Gloria.

“A matcha latte, please?”

“And any treats to give the Pikachu while you wait on your meal?”

Glancing at Victor quickly, Gloria replied, “Can we each get a bag of Pokeblocks?”

After the server nodded and walked away, the twins looked through the glass to watch the Pikachu at play. They could play with the Pokemon while they waited for their meal and then for a short time after. Quickly, they scanned through the food options to decide what they wanted.

When their drinks were brought in, the twins were quickly struck by how _cute_ everything was. Gloria's latte was artistically styled to look like the face of a Grookey, a thin chocolate biscuit stick sitting at the top to look like the stick that normally sat on the species' heads. Even Victor's plain coffee was served in a Pikachu mug.

Speaking of which, she watched her brother carefully while he took his first sip of his coffee. He tried to hide his slight grimace, but failed to. Gloria smirked knowingly. He was just trying to act cool. Her twin was anything but.

Victor ended up ordering the soup and sandwich combo while Gloria couldn’t resist a good curry. They folded their menus up when they received their Pokeblocks, and left the dining room.

Gloria couldn’t help the quiet squee emitting from her mouth the moment she stepped into the Pikachu room. Painted beige, the room itself was a calming environment, but the yellow furniture made the atmosphere cheerful. But what made everything far more cheerful and exciting was all the Pikachu inside.

_“Pikaa!”_

One of the little electric rodents ran straight up to them, sniffing their shoes before lifting itself on its hind legs. It closed its eyes and rubbed up against Gloria’s hand as she leaned down to pet it. 

Even her brother couldn’t help the smile on his lips. Pikachu were just too adorable.

Victor unwrapped his bag of Pokeblocks and held one out to their new friend. Eagerly (and a little greedy) the Pokemon took it out of his hand. After nibbling on the block, Pikachu made a grateful sigh before running off to join his friends.

Seeing the other Pikachu with a treat, its pals took sudden interest in the newcomers. Rushing up, the yellow Pokemon begged for treats and pets. Gloria was more than happy to comply. She scratched one under its chin. It seemed to like that.

"Well, this is a lot more fun than I thought it would be," said Victor. "Wish there were more places like this."

She grinned widely. "Knew you would like it," she teased.

Annoyed again, her brother rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. No need to rub it in."

Unbeknownst to them, outside the shop, a fan of the Champion recognized her and her brother, the young minor gym leader. Rotom phone turned on, the fan was snapping pics of the Pikachu cafe and uploading them instantly on their social media accounts. Every minute snapped attracted hundreds of hearts.

Within a few weeks, the cafe would become such a popular spot to eat at, everyone had to book months out. While it was great for the adoption group it supported, it was no longer just something to do for fun to fill up free time.

Of course, the cafe's two favorite customers were always welcome to cut in line. It wasn't every day a celebrity visited, after all.


	4. The Jigglypuff Song Challenge

The text Leon sent her was unexpected. Normally, he only sent her texts to ask her to come to the Battle Tower. This time, it was an invitation and almost for a casual hangout if it weren’t for the fact it was anything but.

Leon:  
 _What are you up 2 this weekend? Got an invite 2 the Jigglypuff Song Challenge. Want 2 join?_

She thought about it for a moment before responding. The Jigglypuff Song Challenge was a popular online competition series. Each video was no more than ten minutes long, but always hilarious. After a successful first year of popularity, the channel started booking celebrities to appear on it. 

That meant Leon was set to appear. Plus, if he was inviting her, then she could too. The current and former Champions of Galar on the Song Challenge… Sounded fun, at least.

Gloria:  
 _I’m in!_

Her mentor was already there, but he wasn’t alone. Thank goodness. Gloria worried she was going to have to send out a search party for Leon before the show. She spotted two familiar faces with him: beautiful and trendy Nessa and his gym challenge rival Raihan. It made her happy to see another rival pair be friendly with each other off the battlefield. Just like her and Hop.

“Hey, Gloria!” Raihan greeted. “Glad you’re joining us!”

“I love this show!” she replied. Then she looked at Nessa curiously. “Weren’t you on last year?”

She laughed. “Yeah, but this time, I’m going to win! I have more experience than all of you!”

Raihan butted in. “As long as I beat this guy,” he nudged Leon jokingly, “I’ll be happy.”

The studio door opened and a pale, tall man with sandy brown hair peered out. He grinned at Nessa first. “Good to see you again,” he greeted before he walked out and shook everyone’s hands individually. He beamed at Leon and Gloria. “And not only do we have a Champion for this round, but _two.”_

“Thank you for letting me come along,” Gloria told him. “I’m a big fan of the channel.”

The man looked around before appearing puzzled. “I thought we had two more showing up…?”

Leon smiled knowingly. “Ah, yeah, just got a text from them. They had to take a flying taxi. They should be here just about… Oh! Hey, I think I see them!”

He pointed to the sky, where a black dot that vaguely resembled a Corviknight got closer and closer by the second. 

The cab landed on the street, and Hop and Sonia exited and said a polite thank you to the driver. Gloria felt a smile spread on her face. She hadn’t seen either of them in ages, or it least, it felt like it.

Hop ran straight up to her and Leon, Sonia following behind. Hop just about tackled Gloria into a hug. “My rival!”

“Rival?” she arched a thick eyebrow. “You still on the rival stuff?” She thought he would have dropped it once he decided to try his luck at becoming a Pokemon professor…

“Of course not! You are my forever rival!”

She groaned, but she thought she heard the others chuckle in amusement.

“And here, I have another shot to defeat you!”

Ah, so this was what this was all about. He might not be able to defeat her in a proper Pokemon battle, but here, they were even in skill. At least, she thought they were. She had no idea how anyone could train for a Jigglypuff Song Challenge anyway…

Once it was agreed everyone was now here, the group entered the small studio. Gloria had been in her share of studios before, since interviews with the Champion were highly sought after, but those were almost all big corporate studios with national channel listings. Nothing quite like this, which was very cramped and messy. She had to take extra care not to trip over any of the cables tangled on the floor, though Raihan went ahead and fell on his knees. Sonia patted him on the back when she noticed how embarrassed he looked.

They entered into a smaller room through a single door where a table and chairs were waiting for them. The room itself was dark with nothing on the walls. The only other things inside was a podium, lights posed in the rafters and on movable stands, and a few cameras which were currently being attended to by the staff.

Everyone was seated, with the two champions at the center. Hop, being Gloria’s rival, was placed on her left while Raihan was placed on Leon’s right. Ness and Sonia both were seated at the end.

After everyone was fitted with microphones attached to their clothes, the host sat down across from them and cleared his throat. He then waited quietly, just like everyone else, watching one of the cameramen for further instruction.

“Film rolling in five… four…” His voice cut away as he replaced the countdown with digits on his fingers.

“Welcome to a very special edition of the Jigglypuff Song Challenge. I’m your host, Jordan, and our guests today really need no introduction. But just in case there’s an unfamiliar face in this group, I’m going to have everyone say hello.”

He started with the end closest to him; the camera zooming in on Sonia. “Despite only recently completing her doctorate, she had already made a name for herself as Galar’s leading historian, publishing two books on the Darkest Day and the Galar Energy Crisis. Please say hello to Professor Sonia.”

Sonia smiled sweetly at the camera.

“Next, we finally have one of the most requested guests from our comment sections. He’s the top gym leader in the region, the dragon-type master. Hello Raihan.”

When the camera rolled to him, Raihan had his arm up, taking a selfie. He noticed the sudden movement and quickly hid his phone away, smiling widely.

“And for the most-requested guest ever, and one we’ve been trying to get in here for ages,” Jordan grinned, “The youngest champion of Galar ever, he held on to his title for over ten years. Now, he’s the Chairman of the Pokemon League, running the Battle Tower in Wyndon. Chairman Leon!”

Leon waved cheerfully.

“And the person to finally usurp him, our second-most requested guest. Our current reigning Champion Gloria.”

As the camera focused on her, Gloria mirrored Leon, though she thought her smile might have been a little smaller and quieter. She had been noted in interviews for her calmer demeanor than the former Champion.

Hop was next. “And her own rival, a very popular Gym Challenger during his competition year. He’s s now working under the tutelage of Sonia. Say hello to Hop!”

Ecstatically, Hop clutched his arms close to him. That eager grin that Gloria always saw during their Gym Challenge was back.

“And last, but certainly not least,” Jordan concluded, “a returner to the show, last time, she came in second. Gym Leader of Hulbury and international supermodel: Nessa!”

Blowing the camera a kiss, Nessa winked playfully.

“Now the challenge is simple, but to explain to those of you at home watching for the first time, this is what the Jigglypuff Song Challenge is about. In a few moments, I will release a Jigglypuff into the room, who will then sing. The winner of this contest is whoever stays awake the longest. Any sort of ear plugs or noise-cancelling devices are prohibited.”

Everyone nodded their understanding of the rules.

The host smiled. “Then, let’s get started.” He removed a pokeball from his pocket. “You got this, Jigglypuff.”

A white light emitted from the pokeball as the shape of the puffball Pokemon manifested and the light dimmed, revealing pink fur and oversized blue eyes.

Grabbing a pair of headphones, Jordan placed them over his ears. Quickly, Gloria glanced around to see the sudden change of emotion on everyone’s faces. With Hop, it was anticipation. For Leon, sudden curiosity. With Nessa, calm.

She really hoped she was channeling Nessa’s demeanor. 

Watching intently as Jigglypuff grabbed a prop microphone off a nearby table, Gloria tried to brace herself. She had experienced her share of Pokemon songs, but never aimed directly at her. 

_“Jiggly!”_

“Here we go,” Nessa groaned.

Taking a deep breath, the pink Pokemon opened its mouth wide.

_“Jigglypuff~”_

The first few lines of the song were unaffecting. Or at least, that’s what Gloria thought. It was just singing its name over and over after all.

And then she felt her eyelids get heavy…

Oh, no.

To stay awake, she shook her head and pinched the inside of her wrist. Try as she might though, Gloria just felt more and more sluggish by the second. Looking around she saw everyone else in various states of falling asleep, with Leon and Raihan already nodding off.

She glanced quickly at Hop next to her, who was trying to keep his eyes open by physically holding up the creases of his eyes. She made a slow chuckled before she closed her own.

Next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake by the host. 

“All right, Ms. Champion?” he asked with a smile. 

She groaned groggily. “Think so. Who won?”

“I did.”

Looking over her shoulder, Sonia waved at her with closed-eyed grin. "I can't believe it either."

“Followed closely by Nessa. Third went to Hop. Fourth to Gloria.” It was announced like the camera was still rolling, which Gloria assumed meant it probably was.

However, as she noticed Hop getting up out of his chair and stretching his arm, he was beaming. “Finally beat you at something!”

She mirrored him. “Good job, mate!” However, she noticed two people hadn’t been mentioned yet. “What about Leon and Raihan?”

Hop scratched the back of his head and looked over. “Well…”

Glancing towards the two men, she found they were still sound asleep, leaned slightly against one another with Raihan snoring with his mouth open.

They fell asleep roughly around the same time that the host said they would have to review the footage before announcing the winner. When it was too close to call, they officially called it a tie.

Safe to say, while everyone else thought it was funny, Raihan demanded a rematch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't figured it out yet, these shorts aren't supposed to be that serious. I might touch on some darker subjects here and there though.


	5. Sudden and New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeframe: three years after winning Championship.

It wasn’t like it was hard for the Champion to score a seat to any event in Galar. Really, it wasn’t. Even if she was only feigning interest to be polite, she ended up with tickets and invites all the time. Yet she felt quite proud of these tickets, mainly because she was actually interested in going. 

Pokemon could be just as competitive as human athletes. Though, when she thought about it, it wasn’t that surprising either. They were competitive in battle. Why not out of it?

Anyway, this particular competition interested her because it was based around a specific Pokemon species’ stats. Best of the best, if you will. It was a popular TV show called _Species vs Species._

It may have been cheesy, but Gloria thought it sounded fun. Golduck vs. Poliwrath. The best of their kind from Kanto.

And she had not one, but _two_ tickets.

Who she would ask to go with her, she wasn’t sure about yet. There was her brother, who was busy with his electric type gym, though surely could take time off to visit his twin sister. Leon, who she could thank for all the help by inviting, but worried by going together, the press would hound them. She could invite Sonia or Nessa for a girl’s day, but their age differences were showing a lot lately, leaving Gloria feeling like a kid.

And then there was Hop. Hop, who was always up to something like this. Hop, who would always try to find time for her. Her best mate.

Guess she decided then.

Her text to Hop was quick, and his response was even quicker.

Gloria:  
**Got tickets to a Species vs Species filming. Wanna come?**

Hop:  
**Ace! Of course!**

And that was that. No further questioning of whom to take. 

A few days later, they met up in Hulbury. The filming was on one of the rainy beaches where sets of bleachers were set up for attendees. Out on the water, buoys marked different course points for the Pokemon to follow.

As exciting as everything was, Gloria quickly found herself distracted by her best friend. While she was attending in her Champion’s attire—her uniform and short capelet that kept her warm—Hop wasn’t quite as casual as he normally was. Under his favorite shearling jacket, he wore a black button-down shirt along with a pair of nicer trousers. Suddenly, Gloria wondered if she should have dressed nicer.

Nervously, she wondered if Hop thought there was something more to this outing—not that she would be against the idea. They were sixteen, after are, which seemed old enough to be thinking of people as more than friends. It was just, if this is what he was thinking, she would have liked to know in advance.

She didn’t get much longer to entertain that thought, however, as a camera crew jumped right in her path and bombarded her with questions.

“Champion Gloria,” the interviewer began. “Which Pokemon are you cheering for?”

“Err… uh…” She wasn’t starting off well. “I haven’t put much thought into it yet.” She turned to her best friend. “What about you, Hop?”

“I have my eye on that Golduck.” He smiled.

Gloria nodded. “Then I guess I’ll cheer for Poliwrath.”

“Are you two having a betting pool then?” the interviewer joked, only to be cut off urgently by the cameraman. “Oh, wait, you’re a bit too young for that, huh?”

Chuckling awkwardly, Gloria and Hop said their goodbyes before finding their seats towards the front. They quickly found two familiar faces in the bleachers, waving them over.

“Sonia! Nessa!” Hop exclaimed. “Fancy that. You didn’t say you were coming too!” He looked at Sonia pointedly.

“It was kind of a last-minute invite,” Sonia explained. “I actually thought you’d get here before me.” She looked Hop up and down. “Is that a new shirt?”

“Uh… yeah.” Hop scratched the back of his neck.

She and Nessa glanced back and forth between him and Gloria before shooting each other sly smiles. “It looks nice,” Nessa commented.

The official camera crew started getting ready as Gloria and Hop got seated. She spotted two people who looked very much like trainers, waiting on metal benches close to the starting line. There was no sign of the competitor Pokemon yet, though.

Hop kept blathering on and on about what water Pokemon from Galar would make an excellent match against the Kanto guests, but Gloria wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying. Instead, she kept finding herself glancing at his face. 

It was no surprise to her that her best friend was growing up—he was only a few months older than her, and she was experiencing changes with her own body too. Hop’s changes, however, seemed far more noticeable to her. Where they were once roughly the same height, Hop now towered over her at least half a foot. His face was also maturing, though it couldn’t hide his overall silly attitude no matter how hard he tried.

She really hoped he didn’t notice her staring at him. Her face already felt warm as it was, even in the frigid seaside winter air. If he noticed, she was certain she would absolutely _die_ of embarrassment. 

Because really, she always thought Hop would grow into a nice-looking young man, being Leon’s younger brother and all, but this just wasn’t fair.

And if she were honest with herself, Gloria thought he looked—

“Trainers!” An announcer interrupted her thoughts. “Release your Pokemon!”

The crowd erupted into applause as Hop and everyone else stood up cheering. Gloria shook her head, pulling herself out of her head, and followed their lead.

The first trainer released Golduck, a sharp-looking Pokemon. It was often hard to believe something as unthreatening as Psyduck evolved into this creature. 

Then, the second trainer let out his Poliwrath, a strong tadpole-like creature with a transparent middle. The swirl on its stomach was apparently its insides… Gloria hated to think what happened when it used hypnosis as an attack using that swirl.

Anyway, this was the Pokemon she was supposedly rooting for, so she cheered a little louder at its appearance. She eyed its arms, muscular and proving its strength, and decided her choice was a good one. It looked like a swimmer, and a strong one at that.

She noticed a camera fused with a Rotom drifting in front of her. Gloria had enough experience with the press to know it was filming her reaction to the competitors.

Hop seemed to as well. He put his arm around Gloria’s shoulder and cheered for Golduck in her ear. 

Was he…? She sniffed the air. A citrus scent filled her nostrils. Was he wearing cologne? 

Her face heated again. She knew she was blushing and her face was caught on camera.

Maybe she really could just _die_ of embarrassment. Just lie down on the bleachers and die. Right now, she kind of wanted to.

From behind her, Sonia caught her eye again. When their gazes met, she _winked._

_She knew!_

The rest of the competition went by in a haze while Gloria tried to calm herself and not think about her sudden attraction to her best mate. She realized about midway through the race that Hop choosing Golduck was not random: its webbed limbs gave it a far better advantage in the water than Poliwrath’s humanlike hands. Of course, a bloke studying to become a Pokemon professor would know this.

Safe to say, Gloria lost that bet… though she wasn’t sure if they were actually betting on anything.

And now, she had a whole other problem to address, but she decided she needed to sit on this one for now while she figured out exactly what she was feeling and if Hop was feeling similarly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have quite a few ideas for this in my mind, but all as standalones. Two more ideas just popped into my head this week.
> 
> I imagine Gloria would have had a crush on someone prior, but someone a lot older like Leon or Raihan, who she looks up to more than anything else. Eventually, she would have outgrown the crush (though Raihan would probably tease her a bit about this later on).


	6. Victreebel Bog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time period:  
> One year after Championship.

It was Raihan’s idea to get a group together to see a film. Specifically, an adventure film based on a true story, or something. Gloria wasn’t sure because she didn’t exactly know what the story was about besides it taking place somewhere in the Kalos region.

It would be the Champion and the Gym Leaders for this outing, a kind of “bonding” experience, as Raihan claimed, though Nessa and Bede were skeptical. How on earth were they supposed to “bond” doing an activity that involved watching a screen and staying quiet the entire time?

But Gloria agreed to it, simply because she liked movies. It was always a plus to go with friends.

Perhaps it was because the Champion was going, but even the ones who seemed not too into the idea agreed to it. Their little group included not only her and Raihan but also Milo, Nessa, Bea, Marnie, and Bede. For old time’s sake, Piers came along too. The older gym leaders declined, saying it was something for the young people to do, and they couldn’t invite Allister yet since he wasn’t old enough to get in.

Raihan had them meet at a small theater in Hammerlocke, one where he could rent out the smaller screening rooms without feeling like they were going over the top for just a blockbuster that none of them had any connection to. Nessa had made a few film cameos, but so far, she was the only one with on-screen credentials. 

The poster outside the theater showed the image of human explorers looking lost, a tangle of vines lurking above them. In ominous white letters, the tagline, “Look up,” stretched across the bottom of the poster. It almost seemed like a survival action movie than something based on reality. Briefly, Gloria wondered if she had misunderstood the genre.

Glancing at her expression, Raihan laughed. “Don’t worry, Little Miss Hero,” he said. “If you get scared, count on the great Raihan to protect you!”

She glanced at Marnie standing next to her, smirking, and rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah,” Marnie nodded in agreement. “I think he’s forgetting who he’s talkin’ to.”

“If anyone’s protecting me, it’s Cinderace!” she exclaimed, letting her partner out of his pokeball. He hopped in excitement and hugged her.

She, Marnie, Cinderace and Morpeko sat together, though Marnie’s little rodent partner sat happily in her lap as he mooched off her popcorn. Not that she wasn’t willing to share. Gloria, knowing Cinderace would eat most of her own bag if they tried to share, ended up with his own.

The movie passed without incident. Well, almost.

It was actually an (over) dramatized telling of a group of explorers in the Kalos bogs who were never seen again. While no one is exactly sure what happened to them, since no remains were found, it was suspicious that they vanished in the same area known for a colony of Victreebel. The Pokemon, in question, were not ones Gloria was very familiar with, but she had heard of their ability to swallow poor, unsuspecting Pokemon whole after trapping them in their vines.

And yes, that meant for nearly two hours, the film showed the entire cast getting chased by and consumed by a hoard of Victreebel. It claimed the only evidence left behind was an old camcorder, and that was how the fate of the explorer was finally discovered. Shaky camera aside, Gloria found it entertaining.

What was far more entertaining was a certain dragon-type Gym Leader’s reaction to a particular jump scare.

_“Ah!”_

The unmistakable rustling of popcorn filled the row, only for near-silent, dull plops to hit the floor. Looking, down, Gloria saw the entire contents of Raihan’s popcorn bucket spreading down the row.

“Oh, Raihan,” Piers drolled. “Do you need someone to hold your hand?”

“What!? _No!_ I just… lost balance of my bucket! Yeah!”

Marnie caught Gloria’s eye again, laughing under her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a funny ha-ha ficlet that popped up in my brain. I love Raihan.


	7. The Bioluminescence Maze

The Glimwood Tangle was a place of mystery and eerie beauty. It was no wonder so many fairy Pokemon called this place home. It was like something out of a fairy tale, an enchanted forest with bioluminescence mushrooms lighting the way.

Once again, Bede challenged Champion Gloria to a battle. It was a common enough occurrence that happened at least once a year and outside of exhibition matches. Each year, Bede came back stronger and while Gloria never had too much of an issue taking him on, she would admit that out of all her rivals, he was now her biggest threat.

This time, on her way to Bellonea, she stopped in the Tangle for some training. Bede was the fairy-type Gym Leader, so what better place to train than a forest full of fairy-types?   
Most of her team were as leveled up as possible. Cinderace. Gyarados. Boltund. Recently, she added a Machamp to her team after watching Bea’s matches and was fascinated by the fighting-type. He would serve her well in a match against Bede, for sure. She just needed to train him up a bit. 

All was going well for a while. Machamp leveled up three times and learned a new move. She was thinking of setting up camp and take a break for a bit, when an odd smell filled her nostrils. It was musty at first, before turning into something sickeningly sweet. 

She put her hand to her mouth, gagging. The smell was awful, and it was making her feel woozy. Looking around, she explored the tall grass for the source, finally coming across a Wheezing. 

Huh. She didn’t know those were out here. Also, she thought they purified the air, not… whatever this was.

Using her Rotom Dex, she looked up Wheezing’s info. All it said was the Galarian version took in toxic air and exhaled purified oxygen…

Oh wait, it says here sometimes they have to emit excess toxins and when they do, the air around them is highly poisonous. Symptoms of poisoning included lightheadedness, shaking, shortness of breath, and vomiting.

Uh-oh.

She needed to get to town, to a clinic to get treatment. Surely in Ballonlea they were used to these kinds of things? All she had to do was get back to the path she knew as the easiest way to get there…

The forest started spinning.

Oh no, oh no. Not good.

The easiest way to get out of this mess was to have Corviknight fly her away. The problem was, the trees were too thick for him to navigate safely. She would have to think of another plan.

Well, she had a Pokemon with four arms and super-sized muscles. If anyone was strong enough to help her out, it would be Machamp. She unclipped her pokeball from her belt and summoned him.

“We’re in a bad spot, mate,” she said, as she put out an SOS signal on her phone for help to find her. Her chest felt tight. “Think you can help me out of this forest?”

“Maa~” her partner understood and with his massive arms, picked her up in the lower of his four limbs.

They navigated the forest together, Machamp taking her directions as best he could. From time to time, he would stop and look around, like he was expecting another wild Pokemon to jump out at them. With all the Impidimp around, she didn’t blame him.

Once she experienced a coughing fit, Machamp placed her down so she could sit up and try to breathe. She already thought about using Pokemon antidote to try to help, but after reading the directions on the back, found it specifically said not for human consumption. That idea fell flat. Gloria hoped someone had picked up her SOS by now and was looking for her.

The tall grass rustled. It took Gloria some time to register what was going on, though Machamp was on alert from the start. He flexed his muscles, warning whatever was coming.

A slender leg, covered with purple feathering emerged, followed by a long, equine face. A Ponyta. It glanced at them curiously, cautious of Machamp.

“It doesn’t mean us any harm,” she told her Pokemon. 

Machamp visibly relaxed. So did the Ponyta. It glanced at Glora curiously again before moving forward to sniff the human. After deciding Gloria was okay, the little Ponyta nuzzled her affectionately.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Gloria said to the Pokemon. “I can’t play with you right now.” She looked back up at Machamp. “I think we need to start moving again. I can tell I’m getting sicker.” Her stomach felt like it was in her throat.

The Ponyta wasn’t listening to her. It settled itself down in Gloria’s lap and nuzzled against her again. Then, it sniffed her and snorted before pressing its horn gently up to her chest, just where her heart was. After a moment, it began to glow.

Gloria felt a pleasant warmth for a moment before it faded almost as quickly as it started. Her breathing improved instantly. 

“Was that your doing?” she cooed to the Ponyta who settled into her lap contently as the human stroked its mane. It whinnied at her.

They sat there like that for a few minutes before calls startled the group. 

“Champion Gloria?” someone shouted. “You there?”

The Ponyta stood up and trotted back into the tall grass. A little disappointed, Gloria sighed before she answered back. 

“I’m here. I’m all right now, I think.”

A group of diggers and locals from Ballonlea approached, including Bede, whose usual sour face couldn’t hide the relief this time.

“Gave us quite a scare,” he tsked. “What happened?”

“Inhaled some of Wheezing’s noxious fumes and started feeling sick. Wasn’t sure if I could make it back.”

“And your fine now?” A man wearing a medical mask asked. Perhaps he was a medic.

“I came across a Ponyta and rested here for a bit with it. It’s horn glowed and then I felt better.”

Crossing his arms, Bede scowled. “Of course it did,” he mumbled.

She eyed him. “What does that mean, Bede?”

“Galarian Ponyta don’t just approach anyone, you know? They’re shy. They sense the goodness in people’s hearts and are attracted to that. It healed you because you’re _pure of heart.”_ He said this like it was out of spite. He had a Rapidash on his team, but Gloria could bet he had to seek out Ponyta by chance way back during their Gym Challenge days. 

Gloria grinned. “Jealous?”

His face blanched. “Wha—No! Of course not! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” For a moment, she let him fume before turning back to the search group.

“I think I’m well enough to walk to Bellonlea,” she said. “But when we get there, I think I should get checked out. Just in case.”

The team nodded in understanding before they led the way back. She turned to her rival again and smiled sweetly. “Bede?” 

“What?” he snapped, like he was expecting her to tease him some more.

“Thanks for looking for me.”

He paused before he nodded. “Any time. Just don’t make a habit of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bede is still a jerk... but he has a hidden heart under it all.
> 
> This story was inspired by my own Galarian Ponyta plush and old unicorn lore. She is very soft and squishy. Perfect to cuddle with.


	8. Magnetic Attraction

Life in Wyndon wasn’t bad. There was always a lot to do, and living in the city meant she was close to the stadium. She didn’t have to travel far for exhibition matches, and during the off-season she went home to Postwick. Leon and the employees of the League kept an eye on her too. She was the farthest thing from being alone.

The only time she struggled with living alone in her own penthouse suite was in times like these.

Gloria and Cinderace were lounging on the couch together, watching the latest reality series and munching on crisps when the lights flickered. The pair looked up, frowning.

The lights flickered one more time before everything went dark.

Cinderace whimpered. She patted his fur and shushed him. “It’s okay, pal. Just a power outage.”

Standing up, she slowly maneuvered herself into her bedroom to grab a camping lantern on her bookshelf, place there for such an occasion. The light it gave her was just enough to keep her from tripping over anything on the floor or running into walls. 

Now she needed to find that service box…

Gloria never needed to do this before, but it couldn’t be hard to check the power, right? She’d seen it done on the telly millions of times and she was sure it was located toward the entry of the suite.

Wait. What was that on the box?

“Cinderace,” she called. “Can you come here?”

Her partner sprung up from the safety of the sofa and hopped over to her. Focusing ahead of him, he squinted his eyes for a moment, before gasping. _“Cin~?”_

Good, the dark wasn’t playing tricks on her then. There really was a Magnemite attached to the service box! She had no idea how long it had been there, or why it was there, but she bet she knew the cause of the outage now.

“Can you kick it off?” she asked her Pokemon.

Her Cinderace made a low jump in the air and readied his powerful leg. With a quick strike, it hit the Magnemite, forcing it away from the box. It made a strange, mechanical cry before it sparked and fell to the ground.

Gloria didn’t know much about Magnemite, but she knew enough to figure out something was wrong. She bit her bottom lip, worried she seriously hurt the little guy.

“Hey,” she called to the Pokemon. “You all right?”

It didn’t respond. Nervously, she and Cinderace looked at each other before the fire rabbit tapped the other Pokemon lightly with its foot. It didn’t move.

She and Cinderace whined at the same time. Did they accidently kill the poor thing? It just lay there, lifeless. What was she supposed to do?

Pacing her kitchen, she panicked as she tried to think of a plan. She could take it to the Pokemon Center, but she worried about the questions she would be asked if she brought in a dead Magnemite. No, that was a bad idea. She could see the headlines: _Champion murders innocent Pokemon._

Yeah, not good.

Next idea: call for help. But who? Leon might be busy, and she’d hate him to think she was only calling him to get her out of trouble. Hop would be a good person to call, but he was in the Crown Tundra and half the time they tried talking he lost service. Maybe he could be her second call if the first didn’t help?

Maybe one of the Gym Leaders, then. Yeah, they would know what to do. Accidents happened in gyms from time to time. Mind you, no one had ever killed a Pokemon in a gym battle before…

Well, her brother was an electric gym leader and Magnemite was just that kind of Pokemon. Besides, her brother would help her and not judge her, right?

Right?

Shakily, she scrolled down her list of contacts until she found Victor and dialed him. After ringing a few times, his face appeared on her screen.

“Glo?”

_“IthinkIkilledaMagnemite!”_ she blurted out before she burst into tears.

Her twin’s brown eyes widened in alarm. “Woah! Hold on! You _killed_ a Magnemite?!”

She had her Rotom Phone float over to the fallen Pokemon. Sobbing, she relayed what happened. The Magnemite hadn’t moved once since Cinderace kicked it.

After listening to her story and observing the Pokemon, her brother nodded to himself and tried to calm Gloria down. “Hey sis, don’t cry. I think it’s okay.”

“Then why is it not getting up?” Her sobs were slowing into scattered intervals, but when she spoke, her voice broke. She had a hard time understanding herself.

“Listen,” Victor soothed. “It was attaching itself to your service box, right? It probably was low on energy. If we can recharge it… Do you have an electric Pokemon with you now?”

Gloria nodded before summoning Boltund. The dog Pokemon barked before bounding over to the Magnemite, sniffing it curiously and pawing at it.

“Oi! Boltund!” Victor called. The Pokemon tilted his head curiously as he stared at the Rotom Phone, not totally understanding why he could see and hear Victor but not smell or touch him. “Leave it. We need you to help us. Can you use Spark on it? Not too hard though.”

Gloria wasn’t sure Boltund understood fully, but he listened to Victor and concentrated on the Magnemite. Hollowing his back, Boltund emitted a slight Spark and aimed for the other Pokemon. After a few moments of electrifying the Magnemite, Boltund stopped.

The four of them waited with bated breath. 

With a twitch, the Magnemite moved, opening its single eye slowly before floating back above the ground slightly. 

Gloria felt herself sigh with relief. “Thank you, Vic. I owe you one.”

“Take it to the Pokemon Center,” he ordered. “It needs a full charge.”

“Okay.” She wiped her tears off her cheeks.

“And Glo?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad everything is all right. We’ll talk later, ‘kay.”

“’Kay.”

The Rotom Phone hung up. 

Kneeling down, Gloria took in the Magnemite. “I’m sorry Cinderace kicked you,” she told it. 

_“Mag!”_ it replied. She had no idea what that meant.

“Would it be all right if I took you to the Pokemon Center to get you fully charged?” She reached for it and the sudden movement startled it. “Sorry! I was just thinking if I carried you there, it wouldn’t use up so much of your energy.”

Thinking, the Magnemite seemed to agree with her and floated into her waiting arms. It closed its single eye, almost as if it were smiling.

After a few hours at the Pokemon Center, they were clear to go. Gloria intended to let the little guy go wherever it wanted, only to find it following her down the block. She asked it if it wanted to go home with her, and it circled her in glee.

And that is how Champion Gloria made a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I read about Magnemite losing power, my heart broke a little.


	9. He Protec, He Attac

Gigantamax Kingler is _terrifying._

Gloria added the water-type to her team after seeing promise in a new catch she made on the Isle of Armor. Her Kingler seemed strong, with a learnset of decent water attacks. While Gyarados was a wonderful teammate, switching around her roster from time to time kept the audience excited—and her challengers on their toes.

And training was going fine. At least until she tried Dynamaxing Kingler for the first time. 

It took her by surprise that Kingler had a Gigantamax form. She had never heard of one before, but maybe that was because she’d never seen one on a Gym Challenge team before? Kingler’s limbs lengthened into something almost spider-like. Unsettling as Gigantamax Pokemon could be, it seemed to be more so with Kingler in Gloria’s opinion.

She ordered her Eldegloss to attack, knowing she could handle Kingler just fine while he was leveling up. Roots sprung up from the ground, causing Kingler to make a startled sound.

When his giant pincher drifted her way, she panicked and ran for it. It wasn’t a conscious choice she made; it was just something her body did out of fear. She was used to gigantic Pokemon, just not them getting that close towards her.

Whatever the reason, her fleeing obviously hurt her partner’s feelings. In less time than the already short Dynamax powerup lasted, Kingler shrinked back down to normal size and approached his trainer. Concerned of her sudden fear of him, the crab Pokemon tapped her gently on the back to get her attention.

He made bubbles with his mouth like he was trying to cheer her up.

“Sorry, mate,” she patted him on the head. “You just startled me, is all.” Then she broke into laughter. “You get this funny bubble beard when you Gigantamax, but your pinchers… You gotta be careful with those.”

Closing his eyes, Kinger clicked his pinchers together over and over, like it was smiling and laughing with her.

The next time they attempted Dynamaxing was at Hulbury Stadium. Hearing about her new team member, Nessa wanted to put them to the test. Her Drednaw was holding up well against Kingler, though neither held any advantage against the other.

“Let’s see you hold up to this tidal wave,” Nessa taunted as she recalled her Pokemon to ready it to Dynamax.

Gloria did the same with her Kingler. “It’ll take more than that to beat us.”

This time, she was ready for his Gigantamax form. 

Kingler kept his pinchers in the air while he unleashed G-Max Foam Burst. Overhead, a cloud of foamy bubbles shot towards Drewnaw.

Which it then countered with Max Geyser…

As water came close to spouting up at her, Kingler’s pincher drifted downward to block the blast. Gloria felt her eyes widen.

Oh!

Perhaps all this time, Kingler just thought he was protecting his tiny trainer from harm. It probably didn’t understand the Dyamax attacks wouldn’t hurt her, just perhaps get her a little wet. Still, she couldn’t ask for a better quality in a Pokemon.

Nessa seemed to agree. “Oh! How sweet!” she squeed. “I want a picture of this!” She had her Rotom Phone fly over to Gloria to take a photo. “My followers are just going to adore Kingler!”

Almost instantly, Gloria’s phone erupted with notifications. First, Nessa tagged her in the photo she posted to her social media accounts, then tons of likes and comments followed. 

Apparently, Kingler was a “very good boi” for protecting the Champion. 

Gloria didn’t disagree with her followers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love gentle giant Pokemon!


	10. An Exeggcute Observation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Period: a few months after Gloria becomes Champion.

Hop was continuing his research on the Dynamax sensation in the Isle of Armor, specifically finding the use of Max Mushrooms a focal point in his work. He called Gloria frequently, gushing about whatever neat Pokemon he came across that day. 

Occassionally, however, he called her with a question. Gloria had spent tons of time on the island exploring and sometimes she knew of spots where Pokemon were hidden which Hop was unaware of. Two heads were better than one, he liked to say.

This time, she was already on the island, taking some time like the Gym Leaders to do some training before her big debut as the Champion. 

“Hey, Gloria!” Hop greeted when she arrived, his wide smile almost blinding. “Ever seen an Exeggutor around here?”

She rattled her brain, knowing she came across the Kantonian variety at some point. “Think they’re on one of the smaller islands.”

“Can you show me where you think you saw them?” he asked.

Even if it hadn’t been in her plans to tag along with Hop as he was doing his work, it wouldn’t mean she wasn’t training. Likely, they would run into wild Pokemon she could fight. Hop probably wouldn’t mind stepping back on the battles for her.

“Sure.”

They set out for the Workout Sea, Gloria letting her Gyarados out of its pokeball while Hop did the same with his Dubwool. The sheep Pokemon greeted Gloria enthusiastically, rubbing his head up against her stomach affectionately. 

“Hey buddy,” she cooed. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Dubwool,” Hop got his partner’s attention. “We’re gonna let Gyarados take the fights, all right? We’ll just standby if he needs help.” He winked at Gloria. 

They took their bikes to the beach, recalling Dubwool when they got ready to cross the water. The moment their tires hit water, the Rotom Bikes registered the change of terrain and changed for water crossing. 

After a while of peddling, avoiding incoming Sharpedos, and then fighting any that caught up with them, they finally reached the little island Gloria was talking about. It was sparsely populated with grass and a few trees, but Pokemon hid in the tall grass.

And right away, they found the tree-like Pokemon wandering around.

“Woah! Look at them!” Hop’s eyes were wide.

“What did you want them for, anyway?” Gloria asked.

He held up the device Sonia gave him for his Dynamax research and aimed it at the Exeggutor. “Wanted to see if they had a Gigantamax form or not,” he explained. “I don’t see these much in Galar and my books didn’t mention if they did or not.” Staring at the screen, he went quiet for a moment. “Hmm… guess not. Not getting any readings.”

“Shouldn’t there be Dynamax particles around for readings?” Gloria asked. She thought that was how it worked.

Hop showed her the screen. “Well, yes, for power spots. The thing is, with Pokemon who have a Gigantamax form, they always seem to have readings. It’s like the particles stay with them.”

She made a guess. “And that’s what you’re investigating out here, huh?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, part of it.” Putting the device back in his bag, he pulled out his notebook and crossed something out. 

Watching the Exeggutor approach them, Gloria eyed Gyarados. “Want a challenge?” she asked her partner.

He roared and readied himself. Just to make sure the Exeggutor wanted to battle and wasn’t simply coming their way to check out the visitors, Gloria allowed the wild Pokemon to make the first move.

It used seed bomb immediately, prompting their battle to start.

“Hurricane!” she ordered.

Her Pokemon roared again as he unleashed a powerful gust of wind towards the enemy. Exeggutor’s leaves rattled as it tried to stand its ground.

Then, one of its heads fell off its stems, falling to the ground and rolling in the sand.

Hop’s arms flew up in shock. In unison, he and Gloria screamed.

“ITS HEAD—!!!”

“DID I JUST KILL IT?”

As if stunned itself, the Exeggutor looked down at the head and blinked. Then, like it shrugged, it rattled its leaves and walked away unfazed.

Gloria and Hop stared at each other in fear before turning back to see the fallen head jump up and turn to look at them. There was a crack at the top now.

“Wait,” Gloria paused. “Is that an Exeggcute?”

Like it was answering her question, the egg shaped head fired a seed at her before bouncing into the tall grass. She barely dodged the seed.

“Huh,” Hop breathed. “I guess when Exeggutor lose their heads, they just become Exeggcute again…” He crossed his arms, thinking. “Yeah, I think I’ve read something like this before…”

It came as a relief to Gloria that she didn’t seriously hurt the Pokemon, but it just created more questions.

“Hey Hop.”

“Yeah?”

“If Exeggutor loses its heads and they turn back into Eggecute, that means they become Exeggutor again later, right?”

“Right…”

Gloria’s eyes widened. “Does that make them, like, immortal, or something?”

Her best mate’s mouth dropped as he stared back at her. “I… dunno…”

It was a question that kept them up that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have trouble spelling these silly Pokemon names.
> 
> I love the Isle of Armor DLC, but I wish you could have more dumb adventures with Hop than just the honey task.


	11. A Close Call

The wetlands of the Isle of Armor was an opportune place for training. It was full of challenging wild Pokemon to battle, many of which were more than willing to humor her.

Kubfu followed behind her, waiting for the next adversary to make themselves known. He was patient as he anticipated another challenge. Gloria hadn’t decided what tower she wanted to pursue yet, but she knew she had time to think about her choice still. Kubfu was strong enough to battle the Pokemon here, but he still had a few more levels to go before he was ready to take on the towers.

“Where should we look next?” she asked Kubu. 

The little Pokemon tilted his head and squeaked. He didn’t seem to have an answer for her either.

A rustle in the nearby tall grass grabbed their attention. They waited for whatever was in it to emerge. Gloria would wait to see if it was a wild Pokemon who wanted to battle first.

A pink thing walked out of the grass, its long tongue hanging out. Gloria knew exactly what it was. This Pokemon was far too odd to forget. A Lickitung. 

“Hi friend,” she greeted it, waiting to see what it would do. 

It looked them up and down before approaching. Kubfu jumped in front of Gloria, ready to fight. 

_“Liki~”_ The Lickitung unleashed its long tongue, moving right past Kubfu and liking the Champion up and down on her arm.

“Eww!” She scrunched up her nose as the Pokemon’s saliva dripped off her.

The Lickitung retracted its tongue before it stuck it out again, taunting the pair. Then, it ran back into the wild grass and disappeared. 

“Come back here you little—”

“Wash that arm off!” a voice called behind her.

Gloria glanced around until, in the distance, she spotted Honey waving at her frantically. The woman was running towards her.

“Oh, Miss Honey.”

“That Lickitung got you, right?” Honey panted when she got close to Gloria and Kubfu. “You need to wash that arm off right away.”

No needing to be told twice, Gloria looked around for the nearest water source, then ran over to a nearby pond and kneeled. Submerging her arm, she felt cleaner after a few moments. That Lickitung was gross!

Honey breathed deeply in relief. “Glad I was on my daily walk just now. You didn’t know Lickitung saliva causes bad rashes, did you?”

Gloria felt her eyes widen. “What!?”

“Oh, yeah. If not washed off right away, the saliva burns the skin and creates this awful rash. Had to send quite a few of our students to the mainland to get medical care, you see? We just don’t have the capabilities to treat them here.”

The Champion wasn’t sure if she wanted to hug Honey or shake her for not telling her about this _before_ she went venturing out into the wetlands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice in _Detective Pikachu_ how Tim didn't wash off after encountering Lickitung on the train? That could have been a whole different movie!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how often I'll update these one-shots, but I hope they will be a great way for me to continue practice writing, especially when I'm experiencing writer's block on my original works.


End file.
